Acting Hampton police chief takes post this week

The man chosen to be Hampton's acting police chief says he will make sure the department continues to run smoothly.

HAMPTON — The man chosen to be Hampton's acting police chief says he will make sure the department continues to run smoothly.

"I view my role as stepping in to lead the ship on course," Acting Police Chief Thomas Townsend said. "I don't see myself as being here very long."

Townsend, 63, was appointed by City Manager Mary Bunting to serve as acting police chief after Hampton police Chief Charles "Chuck" Jordan Jr. was put on administrative leave. Townsend will officially start his new post on Wednesday.

Jordan was put on administrative leave two weeks after a Daily Press investigation into an undercover cigarette sting conducted by the police department. During the 19-month operation, not a single arrest was made, but questions of financial oversight prompted an internal investigation of three officers involved with the sting.

Townsend described his role as that of a "pinch hitter," a term used for a substitute batter in baseball. Townsend emphasized that he views his role just as it is — interim — and he says he's "not going to make grand changes unless changes are needed." He believes that Jordan will return as police chief, a position Jordan has held since 2004.

"I expect it will be for a short duration," Townsend said of his role. "My goals are to help the police division remain on course so we can continue to serve the citizens of this community at the level they expect and at the level we've always provided service."

This is not Townsend's first time leading the department. Townsend served as Hampton police chief from January 2000 to January 2004 before retiring. Townsend recommended that the city manager hire Jordan as his replacement.

"When I was recommending him, my thoughts are that he is a great leader," Townsend said. "He has done a great job as chief of police, and I hope he's able to continue to do that."

When asked his thoughts on the cigarette operation, Townsend said: "There are a number of investigations going on now. I hope the public has enough trust in the police department and city that they will be patient to let the investigations run their course and let the facts come out … the public will be well informed about what occurs."

Townsend was an active member of the Navy between 1970 and 1972 and served in the combat zone during the Vietnam War. Afterward, Townsend said he realized he didn't want a desk job. That, coupled with having a friend who was a police officer in northern Virginia, piqued his interest in joining law enforcement.

"The city manager has put a good man in place — Chief Townsend was a good chief when he was sitting in that seat before, and he's a good man now," said Hampton Councilman Billy Hobbs.

Though Townsend retired from Hampton in 2004, he has come out of retirement twice before. In 2009, he served as interim chief for the City of Suffolk for six months. He was interim supervisor for Western Tidewater Regional Jail from 2006 to 2008.

He says he is ready to serve the public again and says he has, "roughly 160,000 bosses," referring to the population of the city. Townsend is married, has three grown children and one grandchild. He says he enjoys spending his free time with his family and fishing out of a kayak.

"He'll make sure there is as little disruption as possible while he's there," Hobbs said. "He's a by-the-book kind of guy."

Townsend's appointment has not come without some opposition.

Rudy Langford, president of the Coalition for Justice for Civil Rights said his group is "vigorously opposed to this appointment."

"I don't know why they didn't ask the community first before making this appointment," Langford said.

Daily Press Staff Writer Robert Brauchle contributed to this report.

Facts on Townsend

Townsend joined the Hampton police in 1974. Before becoming chief in January 2000, he served in the uniform patrol, investigative services and administrative services. He was promoted to corporal in 1979; to sergeant in 1984; and to lieutenant in 1989.

Townsend received a bachelor's degree in political science at Christopher Newport College (now Christopher Newport University) and his master's degree in public administration from Old Dominion University. He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy in Quantico.